3-11-09 Inner Circle

Mark your calendar and spread the word among your friends who have Turbo Regals.

The date is Saturday, April 18, 2009. Time is 9:30 until 4 pm. Rain or Shine.

Yum Yum donuts and coffee will be available until supplies run out. Generally, Yum Yum donuts are gone within the first 60 minutes.

Most of our catalog products that are in stock will be discounted 5% to save you money, and of course you'll save on shipping too. If you are planning to come, you can pre order parts you need in advance, so we can have what you want on hand.

With this tough economy, companies we deal with including ourselves, do not stock much inventory. So, parts are taking longer to get. This is especially true with GM related items. It's nobody's fault, but it is something that is happening throughout the entire industry.

Because we have been dismantling cars, we will have a huge array of "tagged and bagged" goodies available. Pete Hoffman will also have a huge selection of used parts available. Keep in mind, I have some body parts and we can have them at our shop if you need them. Simply call in advance to see if we have what you are looking for. It's a great opportunity to find some of those hard-to-find restoration items.

We will have some door prizes and our usual M & M contest. Our current test car, a 95% stock 1987 Turbo-T will be on display.

So, mark your calendar - April 18th at our Plumsteadville location. We are one block off Route 611, at 6201 Kellers Church Road in the second industrial park on the right. Three buildings are in this group and we are on back at the far left building. This event happens - rain or shine.

GENERAL DIRECTIONS - From Willow Grove... North on Route 611, through Warrington, Doylestown and into Plumsteadville (you can take the Rt 611 Bypass that goes around Doylestown - it exits back onto Rt. 611 north of Doylestown). Watch for a shopping center with a McDonald's on your right. Go past that light at Stump Road and the Plumsteadville Inn. Make your FIRST left at the Shelly Funeral Home onto Kellers Church Road. The second office complex is a short distance down on the right. Our unit is in the back far corner. There's plenty of parking since most of the other companies are closed weekends.

NOTE - If you are using MapQuest, you may have to use "Pipersville' as the city.

TURBOBUICK.COM

We have now joined the online group - turbobuick.com - You will see me personally posting comments to various questions on this forum. While some people post all the Turbo Regals they have owned, I felt it would take too much space to list the 300 plus that have passed through my hands. I'm hope to be able to answer Turbo Regal related questions whenever possible.

WHO WOULD HAVE PREDICTED THIS

Who could have predicted that houses in certain parts of the U.S. are actually cheaper than low-mileage original 1986-1987 Grand Nationals?

One of the parts we buy from GM for the popular C5 Corvettes (1997-2004) now says "MADE IN KOREA" on the label. We are seeing GM parts made from a wide variety of foreign countries.

FAST AND FURIOUS 2009 #4 MOVIE

The FAST AND FURIOUS 2009 #4 movie is coming out. It should provide an up tick in values for our cars. A recent article I read says they have brought back the 1970 Supercharged Dodge Charger. They used 9 different Chargers in the movie, wrecking two of them beyond repair. The other remaining seven have been restored.

I recently heard from a restoration shop in Tennessee. They are currently working on one of the Grand Nationals that was used in this movie. This one suffered rear end damage. They needed some parts from us to restore it. This car will be on display probably in April in Gatlinburg, Tennessee in the Hollywood Star Cars Museum.

This particular Grand National was recently purchased at an auction. My guess is they probably used about 5 or 6 Grand National look-a-likes in the movie. From what I have read, all the cars were equipped with Chevy motors to keep things simple. Keep in mind, technology today has come a long way so what you think you are hearing may not be the sound of the actual motor in the car. This latest installment had a far bigger budget than the others, so it will be interesting to see how it compares to the first one. I have only seen the first movie. This latest movie brings back the main characters.

REPRODUCTION BLACK HEADLIGHT BEZELS

At the Magna meeting last month, we displayed the new black headlight bezels that are being made by the same midwestern company that did the new reproduction black grilles. They are due to get a partial shipment of the new black headlight bezels in the next 10 days. Our company will be one of the first to get them in stock.

Like the grilles, the satin black is molded into the plastic. Check out the photo on our website, Part #7222.

I did some research on GM pricing of original black headlight bezels. Back in 1987 the retail price was about $55 a pair. At the end of production when we sold them in 2005 and part of 2006, we sold them for $135 a pair.

The new suggested retail price on these is $179.95 a pair. This is a very good price when compared to GM's list price back in 2005-2006.

The company behind this project is to be commended for being able to come in at a reasonable price for a much-needed part.

In order to get some idea as to initial sales for these new reproduction black headlight bezels, we will give a special introductory price if you place your order by March 31, 2009 by 4 pm. If you place your order by then, the price is just $149.95 plus shipping. We would not charge your credit card until we have the parts in hand and ready to ship.

These have a money back guarantee for quality and fit. The material today is far superior to the material GM used back in the mid 1980s. By purchasing now, you can save $30 a pair.

These will fit all 1984-1987 Regals and are correct for all Grand Nationals, GNXs, T-Types, WE4s and any Turbo-T with the WO2 exterior sport package. (Buick´┐Żs terminology).

NOTE - Your credit card will NOT be charged until we can ship the parts to you.

GREAT NEWS - OUR NEW WEBSITE IS UP AND RUNNING!

We are happy to announce that our new web site is up and running. We are still working on some "glitches," re-shooting photos, text changes and adding new products. The final upload of products is not complete yet, so, please be patient.

However, the new web site has a new URL -

http://www.kirbanperformance.com/

IMPORTANT - If you have our site "bookmarked" on your computer, you will need to reset your bookmark to this new URL.

We can also now accept ADS -
Cars for Sale
Classified - Wanted or Parts for Sale.

Our new web site also gives us the chance to have our Kirban Inner Circles articles posted. Now we can add up to 4 photos for each Inner Circle. We will also be loading some old Buick Inner Circle articles along with photos as we have time. We'll be bringing back our "KIRBAN'S SIDE OF THE ROAD" articles along with photos. Watch for details

You can also view the only car we currently have for sale on the new web site. You can access it from our home page on the CARS FOR SALE category.

Or you can use this link -
www.kirbanperformance.com/product/476/O%27NEIL-KIRBAN+BUICK-+1987+BUICK+GRAND+NATIONAL+710+MILES+FOR+SALE.html

THANKS to those who have called or written with nice comments about the new web site. It's amazing how much time and energy goes into creating a good web site that is user friendly and search-engine compatible. Currently our Corvette parts are on our website and we expect to have our Mustang line up added this week as well. Be sure to tell your friends that own these other cars.

There may still be some glitches in the shipping charges on our website. We do make adjustments where needed prior to filling any orders.

GNX/TRANS AM STYLE 16" x 8" WHEELS ARE IN STOCK

1984-1987 Regal - GNX / TRANS AM STYLE 16" x 8" WHEELS SET

Because of requests, we now offer another option for the popular GNX-style wheels. These GNX / TRANS AM style wheels have the black mesh center and are 16" x 8" with the proper offset to fit the 1984-1987 Regals. These resemble the popular original GNX wheels. Do not confuse this with the version we have sold in the past, known as "Kirban-Style" GNX wheels.

These wheels are manufactured with brand new tooling and are clear coated. Wheels have the proper offset to fit under your fenders. We sell these as a complete set of 4 wheels, 20 correct lug nuts, 20 lug nut black caps, 4 chrome-plated valve stems, 4 black center caps, and 4 "TURBOCHARGED" center cap decals.

The original center caps on the original GNX were actually the existing Trans Am caps. GM simply affixed the "GNX" paper decal over the Trans Am medallion. This set includes the "TURBOCHARGED" Decals (4) Set, Part #7113.

If you own a 1984, 1985, or 1986 Turbo Regal the GM front springs on these years were a different spring rate. You will need to change the front springs to avoid having the tires rub when you go over bumps. We recommend our front springs, Part #6566. If you plan on carrying heavy items in the trunk or four friends, we recommend you upgrade the rear springs to our variable rate rear springs, Part #1520 on any 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987 Regal.

For shocks the best ones you can buy are the Bilsteins to further improve the ride quality of your Turbo Regal. The overall height is actually Slightly less than what is currently on the car. The speedometer is not affected.

Originally the GNX used 245/50s by 16s up front and 255/50s by 16 in the rear. For best results, we recommend going with 245/50s on the fronts and the backs. Depending on the year Turbo Regal and what suspension upgrades you have made, we do not recommend the larger 255/50s for the rear. However, if you want to go with 255/50s in the rear, trial fit these wheels first to be sure you have enough clearance.

The good news is these wheels will look pretty much dead on with the mesh black center that matches the original GNX mesh center. They are 100% brand new and weigh about 18 lbs each. Of all the available optional wheels, these are the most desirable and can really enhance your pride and joy.

Keep in mind, we will take good used original Grand National wheels in partial trade. This can help save you some money, since you also need to buy new tires.

Wheels are in stock, no waiting. You can actually see photos of this wheel on our new website. You can search Part #7219.

SPECIAL SELL OUT

We have been told that the GM black passenger's side marker light is no longer available from GM, GM Part #0919874.

This is the side marker light that was used on all the 1984-1986 T-Types and 1987 Turbo-Ts with black-out package, WE4, Grand Nationals and GNX. This is the right hand side only (passenger's side) marker light that attaches to the headlight bezel.

We have a few left. Remember, these are brand new, still in the GM wrapper. Price is $69.95 and shipping. Less than 4 on hand.

The best way to stay informed with the upcoming show season is to check out the various Turbo Buick forums.

BUYING DEAD OR NEARLY DEAD TURBO REGALS

With the economy in a downward spiral, our concentration is more focused on buying dead 1986-1987 Turbo Regals for parts rather than super mint originals. Naturally, with fuel prices we will focus on Turbo Regals within a 500-mile radius of our location and cars under $5,000.

If you have such a vehicle, email me - denniskirban@yahoo.com

OUR CARS FOR SALE UPDATE

We still have the all-original 1987 Grand National hardtop with 700 actual miles for sale.